Indian Super League inaugurated in Kolkata

The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) was launched amid festivities at Kolkata’s Salk Lake Stadium on October 12 in the presence of fans, industrialists, celebrities and politicians. The inaugural ceremony was celebrated with dances and fireworks. The ISL is a professional Indian football league.

The ISL football tournament will last a span of 10 weeks, from October to December. It is backed by industrialist, Mukesh Ambani, and many team owners are sportspersons and celebrities.

Similarities with IPL

ISL is modeled on the lines of IPL, and is the IPL for the game of football. Like IPL, it has teams based in cities. ISL has eight teams – Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

ISL

The ISL was launched in 2013 to promote football in India. It is supported by the AIFF (All India Football Federation). The league operates on the lines of IPL and Twenty20. It uses a city based franchise system like IPL.

ISL’s mission is to make India a global football power and promote the game so that India qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Its vision is to develop an entertaining football league engaging hundreds of millions of fans and improve playing standards in India.